TPPTA Constitution

2.1 Providing links between students, parents/caregivers and the school.

2.2 Raising funds to provide improved facilities and educational opportunities for the school community.

2.3 Carrying out other activities consistent with the charitable objects of the organisation.

3. MEMBERSHIP

Any parent/caregiver, member of staff may become a member of this organisation.

4. GENERAL MEETINGS

"General Meeting" refers to both Annual General Meeting and Special General Meeting, unless otherwise specified.

4.1 The quorum for a General Meeting will be four (4) members present in person. Two (2) will be parents/caregivers and two (2) will be members of staff.

4.2 At least seven (7) days written notification of each General Meeting will be given to members.

4.3 Notification of a General Meeting will specify the time, date and place of the meeting.

4.4 Full information will be provided concerning any proposed amendments to the constitution or any matter which is the business of a Special General Meeting. Such information will be supplied to any member requesting it.

4.5 The General Meeting will be chaired by the Chair of the Committee. In the absence of the Chair the meeting will elect a person to chair the meeting from among the members present.

4.6 All questions will if possible be decided by consensus. However, where a consensus decision cannot be reached on a matter, the decision will, unless otherwise specified in this constitution, be made by a majority vote.

4.7 Only current full members will be eligible to vote.

4.8 Voting will be by a show of hands unless members indicate an alternative preference. If any member requests a secret ballot on any vote or election, a secret ballot will be held.

4.9 If voting is tied, the chairperson will have a casting vote.

5 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS (AGM)

5.1 The AGM will be held annually within 3 months of the end of the financial year and will carry out the following business:

5.2.1 Receive the minutes of the previous AGM and of any other General Meeting held since the last AGM.

5.2.2 Receive the Executive Committee's report on the activities of the organisation over the last year and the proposed priorities and directions for the organisation in the current year.

5.2.3 Receive the balance sheet and statement of income and expenditure for the past year and the estimate of income and expenditure for the current year.

5.2.4 Elect the officers and other ordinary members of the Executive Committee (see section 7.1).

5.2.6 Conduct any other business which may properly be brought before the meeting.

6 SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

6.1 Special General Meetings may be called by the Executive Committee or by a written request made by at least five (5) members and delivered to the Secretary. Where the meeting has been called on the written request of five (5) members it will be called within thirty (30) days of the delivery of that request to the Secretary.

6.2 A Special General Meeting will only consider business related to the reason for which it is called, as notified to the members.

7. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC)

7.1 The EC will consist of a Chair Person, Secretary and Treasurer and up to three (3) other members.

7.2 The EC will be elected at each Annual General Meeting (AGM).

7.3 The EC will have the power to fill any places vacant following the AGM, or any vacancy that arises in the EC or among its named officers until the next AGM.

7.4 Elected members of the EC will retire at each AGM, but will be eligible for re-election at the same and subsequent meetings. Newly elected EC members will take office immediately upon their election.

8. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

8.1 A quorum will be half plus one of its members.

8.2 If a member of the EC, including an office-bearer, does not attend three (3) consecutive meetings without leave of absence that member may, at the discretion and on decision of the EC, be removed from the EC.

8.3 All questions will if possible be decided by consensus. In the event that a consensus cannot be reached then a decision will be made by a majority vote by show of hands.

8.4 If the voting is tied, the chairperson will exercise a casting vote.

8.5 Each meeting will be chaired by the Chair of the organisation or, in her/his absence, by a person appointed by the EC.

8.6 The EC will meet as required. Meetings may be held in person or by any other means of communicating as decided on by the EC from time to time. All members of the EC, including office-bearers, will be given at least (3) days notice of the meeting by the Secretary, verbally or in writing.

8.7 The Secretary will ensure that a minute ‘book’ is maintained which is available to any member of the organisation via the TPPTA tab on the school website and which, for each meeting of the EC, records:

8.7.1 The names of those present;

8.7.2 All decisions which are required by the constitution or by law to be made by the organisation; and

8.7.3 Any other matters discussed at the meeting.

8.8 The EC will at all times be bound by the decisions of the members at General Meetings.

9. FINANCE

9.1 The financial year of the organisation will be from August to August the following year.

9.2 At the first meeting of the EC following each AGM, the EC will decide by resolution the following:

9.2.1 How money will be received by the organisation;

9.2.2 Who will be entitled to produce receipts;

9.2.3 What bank accounts will operate for the ensuing year, including the purposes of and access to accounts;

9.2.4 Who will be allowed to authorise the production of cheques and the names of cheque signatories; and

9.3 The Treasurer will ensure that true and fair accounts are kept of all money received and expended.

9.4 The Treasurer will arrange for the accounts of the organisation for that financial year to be reviewed by a suitably qualified person appointed for that purpose.

10 INCOME, BENEFIT OR ADVANTAGE TO BE APPLIED TO OBJECTS

10.1 Any income, benefit or advantage will be applied to the objects of the organisation.

10.2 To set aside funds donated by other charitable trusts to be ring-fenced for use only in promoting the objects of those particular trusts

10.3 No member of the organisation or any person associated with a member shall participate in or materially influence any decision made by the organisation in respect of any payment to or on behalf of that member or associated person of any income, benefit or advantage whatsoever. Any such income paid shall be reasonable and relative to that which would be paid in an arm's length transaction (being the open market value).

10.4 The provision and effect of this clause shall not be removed from this constitution and shall be implied into any document replacing this constitution.

11. ALTERATION OF RULES

11.1 The rules of the Society may only be amended in any way by a 2/3 majority of eligible members personally present at any General Meeting.

11.2 The provisions and effect of this clause shall not be removed from this document and shall be included and implied into any document replacing this document.

12. WINDING UP

12.1 The organisation may be wound up if at a General Meeting of its members, it passes a resolution to wind up, and the resolution is confirmed at a subsequent General Meeting called together for that purpose and held not earlier than 30 days after the date on which the resolution to be confirmed was passed.

12.2 If upon the winding up or dissolution of the organisation there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever the same shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the organisation but shall be given or transferred to the school, or to some other charitable organisation or body having charitable objects similar to the objects of the first organisation, within England.

This constitution comes into force on 8 March 2016, and shall remain in force until altered in accordance with the provisions of this constitution.